"When it came time for the biennial statewide survey of middle school students, the Clark County School District added questions to dig deeper into students’ overall health and welfare.
The findings are tantamount to a cry for help.
Nearly one in five students surveyed in 2009 admits to using methods such as cutting and burning to intentionally harm themselves. Nearly that many of the surveyed students — in grades 6-8 — said they had gone hungry in the prior month because there wasn’t enough food at home. And close to a third of the students said they had been bullied at school in the prior year, with half of those attacks launched through digital means such as e-mail, text messaging or Web sites.
“We don’t want to just tell people we think this is happening,” said Mary Pike, the School District administrator overseeing the survey. “Now we can say we know this is happening.”"
The findings are tantamount to a cry for help.
Nearly one in five students surveyed in 2009 admits to using methods such as cutting and burning to intentionally harm themselves. Nearly that many of the surveyed students — in grades 6-8 — said they had gone hungry in the prior month because there wasn’t enough food at home. And close to a third of the students said they had been bullied at school in the prior year, with half of those attacks launched through digital means such as e-mail, text messaging or Web sites.
“We don’t want to just tell people we think this is happening,” said Mary Pike, the School District administrator overseeing the survey. “Now we can say we know this is happening.”"